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NBA Finals: Brinksmanship bad policy for Heat

Maimi has gone win-loss, win-loss, win-loss for 11 straight games. In some ways it’s as if they need that edge from impending doom to get themselves fully engaged.

Miami's LeBron James is becoming increasingly frustrated by the Heat's inability to win back-to-back games in the NBA Finals. "We need to play with the same sense of urgency as if we were down 2-1 or whatever the case may be (for Game 5 on Sunday) night," he says.
(David J. Phillip / The Associated Press)

The Miami Heat — who once rattled off 27 consecutive victories — haven’t won two straight games since the start of the NBA Eastern Conference final and it’s starting to grate on LeBron James.

“Enough is enough with our team,” James said Saturday. “I’m not saying it’s going to result in us having a win, but we need to play with the same sense of urgency as if we were down 2-1 or whatever the case may be (Sunday) night. And we can’t wait around.”

It has been a troubling time in that regard for the Heat, who go into Game 5 of the NBA Finals tied 2-2 with the San Antonio Spurs.

They’ve gone win-loss, win-loss, win-loss for 11 straight games. In some ways it’s as if they need that edge from impending doom to get themselves fully engaged.

It’s a dangerous game, especially when the stakes are so high, and it frustrates some of the players.

“No excuse why, it just hasn’t happened,” said Dwyane Wade. “But if we don’t do two, we won’t win a championship. I wasn’t that smart in school, but I do know that, the numbers don’t add up. We have to find a way to put a string together. And hopefully our mentality and our play in Game 4 can take over to the next game or into the game after that.

“So I think this team, we’ve always responded to a challenge, and right now this is our challenge. Our challenge now as a team is to see if we can put complete games together, back to back.”

It will help immensely if the Heat can get the same production in Game 5 from James, Wade and Chris Bosh that they got in Game 4. The threesome combined for 83 of Miami’s 109 points and were as good as they’ve been at any time in the post-season.

“It’s not as if we have never won two in a row,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. “So our guys understand what’s at hand and what’s at stake right now.

“Look, there’s been so much talk about it, but you do have to give credit to the competition both ways. When you get to this level, it’s tough to win two games in a row against an equal opponent.”

And that’s where the true difficulty lies for the Heat — in the opposition the San Antonio Spurs are putting up.

The Spurs, more veteran and more successful as a team than Miami, haven’t lost two straight since the playoffs began, and they know that going to Miami for Games 6 and perhaps a Game 7 facing a 3-2 deficit might too much to overcome.

So as much as the Heat want to win to prove to themselves they can rattle off consecutive victories, the Spurs have even more motivation.

They were outstanding in Game 3 and outplayed in Game 4; coach Gregg Popovich is frustrated by his own team’s up-and-down nature.

“You lose a game like we did in Game 2, and we come back and beat them in Game 3 and look like they looked (Thursday) night, that’s what drives me crazy,” he said. “Because as coaches, you try to prevent that. You would like to be a little more on an even keel and perform the same way each night.

“And the only thing I can tell myself after all these years is you’re dealing with people, with emotions, and not robots. They come out and they all play hard, but there’s that little intangible, that little spark of intensity or back against the wall or a little bit of fear that just seems to kick in when you’ve lost the previous game.”

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